Acceptance“The best laid plans of mice and men” - so the saying goes. We sometimes have in our mind an idea of where we are going, yet something gets in our way to frustrate our plans and inhibit our best efforts to move forward. Our planning does not seem to be working out as we visualized it would. Now this can cause us great frustration. But that depends on our outlook on obstacles. Obstacles can sometimes be gone directly over or sometimes they require a diversion around them. At other times they may be a signal for us to stop in our tracks and reconsider the direction in which we are travelling.
There is often a reason why things are not going to plan. It is often a call from our higher self to re-examine our position and make some necessary adjustments in our lives. In these cases obstacles are our best friend, our ally in progress and not our enemy. Instead of being disappointed and disillusioned, instead of getting glum and depressed because we are not where we thought we should be, we need to see the hindrance as a signpost to a better way forward. That way forward may take us on a better route to where we thought we were going. Better still, it may take us onto another pathway to a place that we had not envisaged, but which is ultimately for our better good.
The key to progress is acceptance of the obstacle put in our way. Acceptance is recognition that someone somewhere is looking out for us and has our best interests at heart. God is looking down with understanding benevolence and is directing us onto a pathway that is for our ultimate good. Our vision is often impaired and at best is limited in its range. We need the view that can only come from a heavenly perspective. Whether we believe in a personal God out there or in our own higher self looking out for us, either view will help us to have a better acceptance of obstacles that make us consider a change of course.
Acceptance is not acquiescing in failure. Acceptance is not stagnation. Acceptance is not complacency. Acceptance sets us free from the bondage of strict plans which could lead us astray from the perfect course. Acceptance gives us thinking time, accepting that we cannot plan a perfect course for the whole of life in one go. We know that we often have to refer to our maps and manuals for life outworking. Acceptance is our liberation from the straight jacket of certainty and frees us to experiment with other possibilities for progress on our life’s course. Accepting the need for change of direction, for readjustment of our course, whether small or great, is a step towards greater maturity and enables us to take more control of our lives. Ultimately there is only one person who can be held accountable for the progress you make in your life – and that one person is you!
Acceptance may also involve a period of marking time in which we can consider our position. It can be a time of healing for ourselves or for a situation in which we are involved. It may be necessary for the healing of others who are involved in our situation. Rarely are we an isolated island. That which affects us will undoubtedly have a bearing on the life course of another or others around us, whether it be small or great in its impact. We may need to grant ourselves or others forgiveness, as this is often the key to healing of the situation. Only when that forgiveness is applied will the clarity appear as to our next step.
We are constantly changing and evolving throughout our lifetime on this earth. You are not the person today that you were yesterday. Each new day brings new challenges and with them new opportunities to grow in them. Growth is not always seen in one day. But consider the change in your viewpoint and attitudes from where you were ten years ago? See the difference? Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Or at least it should be!
The opposite of acceptance may be seen as denial. Denial is the greatest obstacle to our forward progress. Refusing to accept the reality of our situation puts the block on any forward progress. We get stuck in unreality and deception when we refuse to acknowledge what should be clear to us. When we deceive ourselves we close our eyes to all reality for the present moment, choosing to live in our own fantasy world instead of the real world which impacts upon our lives.
So as we conclude this article we should ask ourselves some questions.
What is there in your life right now that you find it difficult to accept? Why is it that you are resisting the obstacle? Is this a denial of its reality? If you accept the situation for what it is, could you see a possible way forward? Would that way forward, even if difficult, be more beneficial than staying stuck in the mud? Are you willing to take the first step to overcoming the problem? Can you see the benefits that will be yours when you start to move?